A good question about our contest...

Yesterday we announced that we would be giving away the "Studio in a Box" from the good folks at VGallery.

A question came in asking if the contest was open to folks outside of the US and the answer is yes!

I am happy to open the contest worldwide, but as international shipping can be a bit pricey the winner will need to pay postage.

The winner would pay only the exact cost of shipping, no processing, no handling, no hidden charges, only the exact cost of moving the box from me to you.

Come back on Monday and we will have all the details on how you can enter.

An exciting big time announcement!...

This is blog post number 500 and I did not want such a milestone event to be just a ho-hum post, so here's the news.

We are giving away the 2009 Weekly Photo Tips product of the year!

That's right, the entire package could be yours, here's and excerpt from the original post:

"The Evolution Collection with FLO is the most complete "studio in a box" that you can get and contains enough information (16 gigabytes of how to videos, templates, actions, presets, edges, overlays, marketing tips, workflow techniques, forms, price lists, relationship building with vendors and clients, fund raisers, and so, so much more...) that if you use the information contained on the 4 DVD's you will be assured of success."

You can read the entire post here.

But there's a catch, I'm not quite sure how to give it away, I don't want to have another photo contest, been there done that, got the t-shirt.

Perhaps an essay of some sort?

This is where you come in, I hope you the readers will give me your input on what would be the most interesting, fairest way to give this studio changing product to one very lucky reader.

So leave a comment here or drop me an email with your idea of how to drop this into the lap of a deserving photographer.

Another great memory card sale!...

Adorama is having another outstanding memory card sale.

All of the cards come with free shipping and the sale price reflects rebates (you can get the rebate form here).

Last time they ran a sale (mid November) I had my rebate before Christmas!

The sale (and rebates) end January 31.


SanDisk 8GB Extreme III Compact Flash Memory - 3 Pack
Regular Price $149.95
Sale Price $69.95

SanDisk 16GB Extreme III Compact Flash Memory
Regular Price $84.95
Sale Price $64.95

SanDisk 32GB Extreme III Compact Flash Memory
Regular Price $159.95
Sale Price $119.95

SanDisk 32GB Extreme III Compact Flash Memory - 3 Pack
Regular Price $459.95
Sale Price $259.95

SanDisk 8GB Extreme IV Compact Flash Memory
Regular Price e $114.95
Sale Price $54.95

SanDisk 8GB Extreme IV Compact Flash Memory - 3 Pack
Regular Price $324.95
Sale Price $124.95

SanDisk 16 GB Extreme IV Compact Flash Memory
Regular Price $199
Sale Price $139

SanDisk 16GB Extreme IV Compact Flash Memory - 3 Pack
Regular Price $569.95
Sale Price $369.95

SanDisk 4GB Extreme III SDHC Memory
Regular Price $44.95
Sale Price $34.95

SanDisk 4GB Extreme III SDHC Memory 3 Pack
Regular Price $134.95
Sale Price $74.95

SanDisk 8GB Extreme III SDHC Memory
Regular Price $74.95
Sale Price $54.95

SanDisk 8GB Extreme III SDHC Memory - 3 Pack
Regular Price $129.95
Sale Price $219.95

SanDisk 16GB Extreme III SDHC Memory
Regular Price $108.95
Sale Price $88.95

SanDisk 16GB Extreme III SDHC Memory - 3 Pack
Regular Price $324.95
Sale Price $234.95

Easy 2 & 3 light portrait setups...

These are images recently taken for a model portfolio and were shot using just 2 and 3 SB-800s, each flash was set to manual and all fired with Pocket Wizards.

Click on any of the images to view larger and in a new window.

These first images were done with two Nikon SB-800's. The primary/key light was bare bulb with a snoot on it and the fill light had on a LiteDome xs.





The next group of images were done with three Nikon SB-800's. We used a LiteDome xs on each of the primary (front) lights, the rear hair light had a snoot on it and even at it's lowest setting the light was still a bit hot so we stuffed the snoot with a little cheese cloth.

Run, don't walk, over to DTown!...

The Second season of DTown TV with hosts Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski is underway and you don't want to miss it.

Unlike last year when the focus was strictly on Nikon gear, this year it is "all things DSLR". So if you shoot digital, there is something there for you.

Shooting tips, techniques, and great guest appearances by folks like Moose Peterson and Joe McNally.

Last season shows are still available on the site so you Nikon shooters (and you know who you are) should head over and watch them. I learned something new on each episode, be it lens information, hardware tips, or camera body Easter eggs.

So head on over and I'll see ya at DTown.

Definitions of friendship…

I was listening to a podcast the other day and they were talking about what it means to be a true friend and definitions of friendship.

“A friend is one who multiplies our joys and divides our grief.”

“A friend is one who understands our silence.”

“A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.”

And my favorite is…

“A friends is one who comes in when all the world has gone out”

It made me think about who my friends were, what they meant to me, and how empty my life would be without them.

I hope it does the same for you.

DIY Beauty Dish...

Below is our latest video showing the DIY beauty dish I made for well under $20.

The link to my original post on making your own beauty dish can be found here.

Here are some links to some other plans as well that you may find helpful:

1. David Tejada plans

2. Plans from Light & Pixels

3. One I found in Flickr

4. From Isaac Lane Koval

5. Plastic Bucket Beauty Dish

6. Turkey Pan Beauty Dish

7. Turkey Pan Beauty Dish II (the return of the Gobbler!)

8. DIY Beauty Dish For Alien Bees

Here's the video, if you can not view it just follow this link to watch it on YouTube.



Here are two sample images I took this morning to demonstrate the kind of light I got from my DIY beauty dish. Click on either image to view larger and in a new window.

The first image was shot with an SB-800 using the Sto-Fen style diffuser that comes standard with it. Notice the harshness of the light and the sharp distinct shadows.


This image was shot with my beauty dish, the light is more diffuse, the shadows much softer, resulting in a better picutre.